Bayview Mackinac Race 2025 Race Chair Communication #5
by Bayview Mackinac Race 15 Feb 09:54 PST
July 12, 2025
100th Bayview Mackinac Race presented by National Fleet Services © Lynn Kotwicki
Competitors:
Registration is open. If you haven't registered yet, please do.
All competitors must provide their boat's state/province registration or Federal documentation number that will be valid during the race; this is a State of Michigan Department of Natural Resources requirement. Please update your entry if you have not provided this information.
When registering, you will have an opportunity to donate to BYC Jr. Sailing, and/or the Bayview Mackinac Race Foundation. Please consider doing so.
Please read the entire NOR. You can find it here
(We are aware there was a typo for the Island Awards Party. They will be held Tuesday, July 15, NOT Wednesday, July 16. An amendment will be issued to correct).
Cruising Division
If you are planning on entering the Cruising Division, please read the Cruising Division Rules, found here: 2025 Bayview Mackinac Race Cruising Rules
There are two options within the Cruising Division; Cruiser-Racer class(es), and, Cruising class(es). The Cruiser-Racer class(es) are essentially the same as previous years. The Cruising class(es) are more restrictive in the number of sails permitted. Please familiarize yourselves with the Cruising Division Rules in order to make sure you select the Cruising Division class you wish to sail in.
Shore Course 'Speed Limit'
Based on current registrations, it is anticipated the 'speed limit' for Shore Course Division II, will be approximately the equivalent of an APH ToT rating of 1.065 under the 2024 ORC VPP. This number will be updated to the 2025 number when known.
Boats like C&C 35s, Santana 35s, Morgan 42s, etc., are eligible to race Shore Course. Boats like J35s, C&C 41s, NA40s, Beneteau 36.7s, and faster will be assigned to the Cove Course.
Slower boats may request to race Cove Course.
There is no speed limit for the Cruising Division, which is only offered on the Shore Course.
Weather Routing Scoring and the Bayview Mackinac Race Custom Wind Mix
As noted in NOR 13.1, the RC may use either the custom wind mix scoring model for each course, or, Weather Routing Scoring (WRS).
The 2025 Bayview Mackinac Race scoring models based on the prior 10 years of observed conditions are as follows:
As you can see, these have an average wind speed of under 8 knots.
In the event of a forecast of significantly greater wind speeds for the race (greater than 12 knots for at least 60 percent of the forecast period), then the RC has the option to utilize WRS to score the race instead of the custom wind mix.
A detailed explanation of Weather Routing Scoring may be found here
Even if the custom wind mixes are used for scoring this year's race, the race will also be 'shadow scored' using WRS for evaluation and consideration for exclusively using WRS for future Bayview Mackinac Races.
Safety
There are a number of safety articles and a video related to safety on the official website. All participants are strongly recommended to review and download each of these so they are available to you when racing. These are in addition to the Safety Equipment Requirements (SER) all competitors must comply with.
For those interested in Safety at Sea courses, you may find available courses here.
2025 ORC Certificate Applications Opened Friday, January 17
USSailing's application was designed to be completed in sections. An owner can submit their initial application without having all the required measurement data on hand. The initial application is a high-level overview of their certificate configuration and season plans. The deadline for the 2025 Bayview Mackinac Race to APPLY for your ORC rating certificate is May 1, 2025.
Once the owner completes the base application form (either the New Boat Application or the 2025 Certificate Application), they will receive an email with instructions on their next steps. These steps will include additional forms that will be used to submit their measurement data once collected from their sailmakers or boat measurers. The deadline for submitting all rating requirements to ORC and ORC Amended Certificates (Test Certs) is June 1, 2025, at 1700 hours EDT.
Please have the correct boat data when completing the information for your ORC rating, including accurate crew weight, all required sail certificates, etc.
If you are re-measuring existing sails or adding a new sail that is replacing a currently reported sail, you will want to select both "Add new, additional, or remeasured sail(s)" and "Remove previously reported sail(s)". When the field pops up to report which sails to remove, you will input the sail type, and sail ID (as listed on your current ORC certificate).
The configuration shown on your certificate is the configuration your boat MUST race in. Remember, we will be enforcing the ORC Minimum crew weights, as well as the Maximum crew weights, for the Racing Monohull and Cruising Divisions.
Per USSailing, once your certificate is finalized, any changes will incur an amendment fee for re-issuance. If you are considering changes (e.g. new sail, measurement, crew changes, etc.) note this in the comment box on the base application. This will alert the Offshore Office that you may have changes, and they should wait before finalizing your rating.
Please apply early! The USSailing Offshore Office would like to know what is in the pipeline for the season rather than have owners wait to apply once they have all the data. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please email the USSailing Offshore Office at .
If you have questions about the ORC ratings or measurement processes, there are 7 articles and 1 presentation with all the information you will need here: ORC Rating information
"How to Win a Bayview Mackinac Race" Panel Discussion
Save the date for Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at Bayview Yacht Club for a panel discussion on "How to Win a Bayview Mackinac Race". Last year's Panel was very well received. All are welcome to attend!
This year's panel consists of Bob DeClercq, Paul Kraft, Com. Phil O'Niel, Com. Chuck Stormes, Jeremy Thompson, and Peter Wenzler. The discussion will be moderated by yours truly.
This panel has a combined 446 years of BYC/CYC Mackinac race experience, with 129 class wins and 33 Overall wins. 6 are BYC Old goats, 4 are Double Goats, 1 a Grand Ram, and 2 are members of the Bayview Mackinac Race Hall of Fame.
Mainsheet Trophy (Corinthian boats)
To qualify for the Mainsheet (Corinthian) Trophy, all crew members of a boat shall have a current ISAF Category 1 number/certificate. To apply for or renew, visit here.
I have found it works best on a desktop, and not with a mobile device.
UltraMac
The 101st Bayview Mackinac Race is also the first leg of the "Ultra Mac", a rare East-to-West race that continues to Chicago, for a course distance of approximately 550 nautical miles. This race is sponsored by Chicago Yacht Club, as part of their 150th birthday celebration. Registration is expected to open in mid-February for this event. The NOR is not finalized, but CYC is going to require participants in the Ultra Mac to comply with CYC MAC Safety Requirements (CMSRs). To be eligible to compete in the Ultra Mac you MUST be registered for the Bayview Mackinac Race.
I want to thank our sponsors and supporters for the 2025 race: Bayview Mackinac Race Foundation, Deep Eddy Vodka, Detroit Liquid Ventures, Casamigos, Detroit City Distillery, Mission Point Resort, National Fleet Services, Shepler's Mackinac Island Ferry, Aitken & Ormond Insurance, Frankenmuth Insurance, and MicroCODE. Without our sponsors, we cannot run the quality event we are known for.
We at Bayview Yacht Club are thrilled to be starting our second century of the Bayview Mackinac Race and are honored that you have chosen to join us.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
And don't forget, read the NOR!
Register!
Prep your boat and crew!
Race!
See you on the starting line.
Tim Prophit
Chair, 2025 Bayview Mackinac Race